Attend the Tale of Charlotte Todd
by Abbs McGee-also Kristin
Summary: Would it have been different if Mrs. Lovett had a daughter?
1. Chapter 1

Charlotte Mercy Lovett was an average twenty year old of London. Well, as average of a twenty year old as she could be with a mother who makes meat pies but never sells them and a dowry of a grand two pence peice. Her childhood was simple, don't ask questions and don't go upstairs. She's wipe the tables and advertise outside.  
>One normal day she was helping her mother cook, or more literally, picking the burnt bits out of the oven. She was just getting to the bit in the back of the third oven when the door opened. She glanced up, but her mother hadn't heard it. She looked over to the door and saw the man. Pale as herself, with jet black hair with a ecletric white streak. "Mother..."<br>Mrs. Lovett looked up with a jolt.

Mrs. Lovett: A customer!

Wait!  
>What's your rush? What's your hurry?<br>You gave me such a -  
>Fright, I thought you was a ghost!<br>Half a minute, can'tcher sit!  
>Sit you down, sit!<br>All I meant is that I haven't seen a customer for weeks!  
>Did you come here for a pie, sir?<p>

Charlotte: What else would he come here for?  
>You'd think a bloody king came through the door!<br>But I tell ya, times it hard sir

Mrs. Lovett:Do forgive me if me head's a little vague -  
>Ugh! What is that?<br>But you think we had the plague!  
>From the way that people Keep avoiding -<br>No you don't!  
>Heaven knows I try, sir!<br>Ick!  
>But there's no one comes in even to inhale!<br>Right you are, sir, would you like a drop of ale?

Charlotte: Looks like he could do with a little more than that.  
>But you know, might make him buy something in fact.<br>He'd be the first in ages these are probebly the worst pies in london!

I know why nobody cares to take them,  
>I should know,<br>I make them,  
>But good? No!<br>The worst pies in London,  
>Even that's polite!<br>The worst pies in London,  
>If you doubt it, take a bite!<br>Is that just disgusting?  
>You have to concede it!<br>It's nothing but crusting!  
>Here, drink this, you'll need it!<br>The worst pies in London...

Charlotte: Maybe if you'd buy something that actually taste nice instead of all this shit that's on half price.  
>This stuff taste like it's made of mouses<p>

Mrs. Lovett:And no wonder with the price of meat What it is When you get it Never Thought I'd live to see the day Men'd think it was a treat Findin' poor Animals Wot are dyin' in the street!  
>Mrs. Mooney has a pie shop!<br>Does a business but I notice something weird.  
>Lately all her neighbors' cats have disappeared!<br>Have to hand it to her -  
>Wot I calls Enterprise Poppin' pussies into pies!<p>

Charlotte: She's right you don't know Decided to bring Fluffy 'round 'bout a month ago Haven't seen the kitty since it

Mrs. Lovett:Wouldn't do in my shop!  
>Just the thought of it's enough to make you sick!<br>And I'm tellin' you, them pussycats is quick!  
>No denying times is hard, sir Even harder than the worst pies in London!<br>Only lard and nothing more -  
>Is that just revolting,<br>All greasy and gritty?  
>It looks like it's molting,<br>And tastes like,  
>Well, pity A woman alone,<br>With limited wind,  
>And the worst pies in London!<br>Ah, sir, times is hard,  
>Times is hard!<p>

The man simply swallowed the ale they offered him and looked back into his plate. Charlotte smiled softly and picked it up, knowing he was as disgusted with it as she usually was. He nodded stiffly as the brought it into the washroom behind the shop. She heard her mother offer him some gin and returned just as they were entering the parlor. She sat down on the couch just as the man was,blushing slightly. "If times are so hard, Mrs. Lovett, why don't you rent the room out above the shop?" he asked.  
>"Something happened up there, something not very nice." Mrs. Lovett said, setting the gin down before the man.<br>"People reckon it's haunted, Mister. Wot after Turpin stoled the darling.." Charlotte began.  
>"What?" the man asked, turning his head severely to her, his eyes urgent.<br>"You don' know?" Mrs. Lovett began,

" There was this barber and his wife And he was beautiful A proper artist with a knife But they transported him for life And he was beautiful!

Charlotte:Barker, his name was. Benjamin Barker.  
>Todd: Transported... what was his crime?<p>

Mrs Lovett: Foolishness He had this wife, y'see Pretty little thing Silly little nit Had her chance for the moon on a string Poor thing! Poor thing! There was this judge you see wanted her like mad every day he'd send her a flower but did she come down from her tower?  
>Nope, sat up there and sobbed by the hour Too bad, pure thing!<p>

Charlotte:So they merely shipped the poor blighter off south, they did Leaving her with nothing 'cept grief and a year-old kid! Did she use her head even then? Oh, no! God forbid! Poor fool! Ah, but there was worse yet to come, poor thing... Johanna. That was the baby's name. Pretty, little Johanna.

Lovett:Well, Beadle calls on her all polite Poor thing, poor thing The judge, he tells her is all contrite He blames himself for her dreadful plight She must come straight to his house tonight Poor thing, poor thing!

Of course when she goes there, Poor thing, poor thing, They're 'aving this ball all in masks.  
>There's no one she knows there, Poor dear, poor thing.<br>She wanders tormented and drinks, poor thing! The judge has repented, she thinks, poor thing! "Oh where is Judge Turpin?" she asks... He was there alright Only not so contrite!

She wasn't no match for such craft, y'see, And everyone thought it so droll.  
>They figured she had to be daft, y'see, So all of them stood there and laughed, y'see! Poor soul! Poor thing!<p>

To their suprise the man jolted up and yelled "NO! Would nobody have mercy on her?" Mrs. Lovett looked at him for a moment and then said:  
>"So it is you?"<br>"Benjamin Barker?" and at this moment a burning smell came from the kitchen, the oven was on fire again. "Damn.." Mrs. Lovett said, rushing out to it. Benjamin Barker looked at Charlotte pitifully. "Where's Lucy? Where's my wife and child?"  
>"Missus Barker posioned herself, Mister. Arscenic...from the apothecry 'round the corner there. Mother tried to stop her, but she'nt listen. We tried too save little Johanna too, but he's got her." She said, looking into his hurt eyes. Was this really him?<br>"He? Judge Turpin?"  
>"Adopted 'er as his own. Sickening it is." He stood quickly, slamming his hands on the table. "Fifteen years, suffering in a living hell on a false charge, fifteen years dreaming, hoping I might see Johanna and Lucy again."<br>Charlotte frowned. "I can't say the years have been particularry kind to you, Mister Barker."  
>He gave a venomous look at nowhere in particular. "No, not Barker. That man died long ago. It's Todd now, Sweeney Todd. And he will have his revenge."<br> 


	2. Chapter 2

They were in the room above the shop. "Mother hid them in here..." Charlotte said, feeling for the slightly loose floorboard. "I was five when it happened, mind you...here we are!" She pulled the board up and took out the box. "I think you'll find these to your liking, Mister Todd." She opened the box and handed him one of the silver razors. He smirked, toying with it in his hands. Todd:Sweeney Todd:  
>These are my friends,<br>See how they glisten.  
>See this one shine,<br>How he smiles in the light,  
>My friends,<br>My faithful friends...  
>Speak to me, friend.<br>Whisper, I'll listen.  
>I know, I know You've been locked out of sight All these years!<br>Like me, my friend!  
>Well, I've come home To find you waiting!<br>Home, And we're together...  
>And we'll do wonders...<br>Won't we...?  
>[Simultaneously, for rest of song]<br>Todd:  
>You there, my friend,<br>Come, let me hold you.  
>Now, with a sigh,<br>You grow warm In my hand...  
>My friend,<br>My clever friend...

Charlotte:  
>I'll be your friend too, Mr. Todd.<br>If you only knew, Mr. Todd.  
>Ooh, Mr. Todd,<br>You're warm In my hand...  
>You've come home...<br>Mother has a fondness for you She does.  
>Todd:<br>Rest now, my friends.  
>Soon I'll unfold you.<br>Soon you'll know splendors You never have dreamed All your days,  
>My lucky friends.<br>Till now your shine Was merely silver.  
>Friends,<br>You shall drip rubies,  
>You'll soon drip precious Rubies...<br>Charlotte:  
>Never you fear, Mr. Todd.<br>You can move in here Mr. Todd. Splendors You never have dreamed All your days Will be yours!  
>I'm your friend,<br>And you're mine!  
>Don't they shine beautiful?<br>Silver's good enough for me,  
>Mr. T...<br>And he stood, his arm outstreached completely with the razor. "At last, my arm is complete again!" Charlotte took one of the other razors in her hand and flicked it open. It reflected the moonlight well, she noted. He turned. "Your name?"  
>"Charlotte Mercy, sir. But I'll accept Dotty or Cher first."<br>charlotte, but Dotty or Cher first...he remembered this, because she was the one person who saw his razors in his hand, and that would always attach itself to his idea of her.

The next week the three of them were in the market, looking over a crowd of people at a stage. Charlotte nudged Sweeney in the side, nodding at a man in the courtyard. Beadle Bamford, as unsavory a character as he was fifteen years ago. Sweeney subconciously put his hand to his razors, but Charlotte grabbed his arm.  
>"There there dear, it's nothing to sicken yourself over" He moved his hand, smirking at the girl who was now staring blazingly at the stage.<br>"Mother, that Italian is here again!" Charlotte lamented, roughly handing a beggar woman a penny. "It's a Thursday, init?" Mrs. Lovett said, turning to Sweeney. "Fancies himself a barber. He's got a kid that runs 'round wit 'im." And sure enough, the young boy was stalking around the stage, pounding in his drum.  
>Toby:Ladies and gentlemen,<br>May I have your attention, please?  
>Do you wake every morning in shame and despair,<br>Discover your pillow is covered with hair?  
>What ought not to be there?<br>Well, ladies and gentlemen,  
>From now on you can waken at ease You may never again have a worry or care,<br>I will show you a miracle, marvelous rare,  
>Gentlemen you are about to see something what rose from the dead,<br>On the top of my head!  
>'Twas Pirelli's Miracle Elixir,<br>That's what did the trick sir,  
>True, sir, true,<br>Was it quick, sir?  
>Did it in a tick, sir?<br>Just like an elixir ought to do.  
>How about a bottle mister?<br>Only costs a penny, guaranteed.  
>Does Pirelli's stimulate the growth, sir?<br>You can have my oath sir,  
>'Tis unique.<br>Rub a minute,  
>Stimulatin' i'n' it?<br>Soon you'll have to thin it once a week.  
>TODD:<br>Pardon me ma'am what's that awful stench?

CHARLOTTE:  
>I garuntee ya it ain't nothing French<p>

LOVETT:  
>Are we standing near an open trench?<br>TODD:  
>Must be standing near an open trench.<br>TOBIAS:  
>Try Pirelli's Miracle Elixir,<br>Anything what's slick, sir,  
>Soon sprouts curls,<br>Try Pirelli's,  
>When they see how thick, sir,<br>You can have your pick, sir, of the girls!  
>Want to buy a bottle missus?<br>TODD:  
>What is this?<br>LOVETT:  
>What is this?<br>TODD:  
>Smells like piss.<br>CHARLOTTE:  
>Smells like...EW!<br>TODD:  
>Looks like piss.<br>LOVETT:  
>Wouldn't touch it if I was you, dear!<br>TODD:  
>This is piss.<p>

CHARLOTTE:  
>Piss with ink.<br>TOBIAS:  
>Let Pirelli's activate your roots, sir.<br>TODD:  
>Keep it off your boots, sir, eats right through.<br>TOBIAS:  
>Yes, get Pirelli's!<br>Use a bottle of it!  
>Ladies seem to love it LOVETT:<br>Flies do too.  
>The crowd burst out laughing as the boy's face went solemn. But soon a funny looking man in a blue suit stepped out.<br>"That's him, Mr. T!"

PIRELLI:  
>I am Adolfo Pirelli The King of the barbers the barber of kings E bonjeurno good day I blow you a kiss<p>

And I The so famous Pirelli I wish to know who has the nerve to say My elixer is piss Who says this?

Sweeney stepped forward. "I do. I have opened a bottle of Pirelli's so called "Miracle Elixer" and I bring it upon myself to disclose to you that it is an arrant fraud." He turned and winked at Dotty. "Concocted of piss and ink. Also, signor, I have never serviced a king nor even a cardinal, but I'll wager five pounds I can shave a face with five tomes the accuracy of 's face went thin and Charlotte stepped towards her mother. "See these?" he flicked open his razors, allowing the light to flicker off of them, "Better a shave than any street vendor could ever give. Anyone fancy a shave?"  
>... <p>


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Todd was pacing. Back...forth...back...forth. He had taken to letting Dotty sit in his shop, watching him pace. Back...forth...back...forth. The Beadle had promised he'd be around before the week was out...back...forth...back...forth.  
>"It's only Friday, lov." Charlotte reminded him. Dotty wasn't nearly as chattery as her mother was. She was quiet, she liked to keep to herself, which made Mr. Todd her ideal companion. But then again, maybe she just liked getting out of working with her mother...<br>Charlotte: Easy now.  
>Hush, love, hush.<br>Don't distress yourself,  
>What's your rush?<br>Keep your thoughts Nice and lush.  
>Wait I've been thinking, flowers-<br>Maybe daisies-  
>To brighten up the room.<br>Don't you think some flowers,  
>Pretty daisies,<br>Might relieve the gloom?  
>Ah, wait, love, wait.<br>Mr. Todd looked at the girl calculating her quietly. This was the most she had spoken straight off without pausing. "and how will I get to the judge, Dot?"  
>Charlotte:<br>Slow, love, slow.  
>Time's so fast.<br>Now goes quickly-  
>See, now it's past!<br>Soon will come.  
>Soon will last.<br>Wait.  
>Gillyflowers, maybe,<br>'stead of daisies.  
>I don't know, though.<br>What do you think?  
>Suddenly, the door burst open and a boy no older than Dotty herself ran in. "Mr. To-" he began, but Sweeney had hidden behind the door. Seeing only Dotty he apologised for bursting in. Sweeney stepped out from behind the door. "What is it, Anthony?"<p>"There's this girl, beautiful as a rosebud. But she has a gaurd who keeps her locked away. He's a judge of some sort-" Anthony said, being cut off by Charlotte.<br>"A judge? This isn't Johanna?" she asked, looking quickly to Mr. Todd. To be honest, she didn't want him to reconnect with Johanna, fearing that he'd leave her and her mother. They were supposed to start two hand in hand businesses, and help pay eachother's taxes. If Johanna returned to Sweeney, he'd want to start over with a girl who was of marriage age. He's never be able to be her father...  
>"Yes! Today she threw me this..." Anthony held up a key. "Surely this means she wants me to steal into the house and take her away with me."<br>Mr. Todd simply stayed with his eyes glued to Anthony's jaw. What was he thinking? Why didn't he speak? Those questions flooded Dotty's mind.  
>"The problem is, I don't know anyone else in London, so could I keep her here, only for an hour? I'd be forever in your debt." he pled.<br>"Yes, of course." Charlotte said and dismissed the man. "Looks like the odds are favouring you at last, Sweeney."  
>Mr. T was obviously not listening to her any longer,he was watching out the window. Suddenly, he straightened. "Pirelli is coming, Dot. Go downstairs." she hesitated. "Go! And keep the boy down" She ran out of the door, down the stairs to where her mother was talking to the Italian.<br>"You mind if I give him a meat pie?" Mrs. Lovett asked, but the Italian merely shoved him and went up the stairs. The boy couldn't have been older than ten, and his face was far dirtier than it should have been. He was pathetic. "Come on in, deary, lemme get you a nice hot pie." Dotty said, putting her hand gingerly on the child's shoulder, leading him into the shop. "You can sit down, sweet." she said, watching her mother bustle around the house upon seeing Charlotte was going to keep the boy. The boy quickly collapsed onto the chair nearest the door. "Wotcher name, boy?"  
>"Tobias Ragg, ma'am. And your Missus Lovett, right?" he assumed, taking a pie from Charlotte and biting a huge bit out of it. No wonder, the babe must have been half starved.<br>"Now Toby, do I look old enough to be a ma'am?" she watched him carefully, "Don't answer that. And no, Missus Lovett is my mother, I'm Charlotte. Or Dotty." She set another pie in front of him, seeing as he'd already finished the first one. "A man with a good stomach I see..." she said, looking up at the picture of her worthless father. "My papa was like that, only he didn't quite have your head of hair..."  
>Toby reached up and snached the wig off of his head, itching his filthy scalp. "It really is hard work." With that he downed the second meat pie with little difficulty. Charlotte raised her eyebrows in suprise, wondering what other secrets this little boy might hold. Suddenly, there was a multitude of bangs from upstairs. She cleared her throat and banged the oven door shut. "Just Mr. T being a bit loud deary, nothin' a worry about." she looked upwards, being as the noises had stopped. "then again, he might need some help..." she said, and hurried up the stairs. She pushed the door open quickly, expecting to see Mr. Todd and Pirelli arguing. Instead, her mother was leaning over the open chest and pulled something out . A little silken coin purse?<br>"Waste not want not." Mrs. Lovett said, tucking it away into her bodice and shutting the chest.  
>"What's going on up here?" Dotty asked breathlessly. "Where's Mr. Pirelli?" she looked at Sweeney, who merely nodded at the chest. Confused, she lifted the lid and saw what he meant. "What the hell did you? Killing of a bugger who ain't did you no harm!" She walked up to Mr. T and slapped him across the face. "What were you thinking, Sweeney? You bloody lunatic!"<br>"He recognised me from the old days, Dotty. He was going to blackmail me." he said simply, putting a hand to his cheek. "Why the feck did you have to do that?"  
>Dotty nodded. That was better...at least he hadn't just killed for the sake of killing. But then again, why not? Once again Sweeney was concentrating out the window.<br> 


	4. Chapter 4

The door burst open and Toby ran in. "Signor Pirelli! Your appointmen-" he noticed that the man he was to be of service to was not there. "Where's Signor Pirelli?"  
>Dotty moved over to the child. "Mr. Pirelli was called away on bussiness, deary. He asked for you to stay here." She eyed Sweeney nervously. "Miss Charlotte gave you a meat pie, did she?" he asked, flipping the razor through his fingers. He walked over behind Charlotte and rested a hand on the nape of her neck, the other still playing the blade through them.<br>"Yessir. Three of them! She's a right lady, she is." Tobias said, beaming at her. His teeth were good for a boy from the work house, Dotty noted, and grinned slightly back.  
>"That she is." Sweeney said, beckoning for Mrs. Lovett to come over. "Mrs. Lovett, why don't you bring Toby here downstairs for a nice tonk of gin?" Nellie looked at him curiously but brought the boy downstairs.<br>Sweeney brought Dotty over to the newly added chair and sat her down. "What do you think we should do with the boy?" he asked. "I say we send him up later. I'll take care of him." he said, moving to the window.  
>"Now I don't think that'll be-" she noticed him jump slightly. "Wot it is?" she asked, standing quickly. "The judge...leave me." she walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "Leave me!" he yelled, pushing her back.<br>"Put your jacket on! There's blood in your sleeve!" she said, groping at the stuck doorknob as he threw on the coat. As she jerked the heavy door open and stepped out, she found herself nose to nose with Judge Turpin himself. "I'm sorry, my lord." she said, dismissing herself until a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned, and the judge beckoned for her to enter with him. Biting her lip, Charlotte complied and went back into the room. Sweeney had just gotten the jacket on well when they entered, and turned on his heel. "Hello Judge Turpin." he said oiliy. "What is it you need today?" he offered his hand to take the Judge's coat. "A stylish trimming of the hair?" A hand that wasn't Sweeney's or her own brushed over the bare skin on her back. Suddenly, a rush went through Charlotte's body, like she was going to sick on herself. She dashed out of the room into the cold autumn day and took a deep breath of fresh air. Blood rushed to her head as she leaned over the banister, breathing unevenly. The judge touched her...touched her bare skin in a way that made her skin crawl...the way her father touched her...*no, don't think about Albert, not now* She went down the stairs slowly, knowing they'd soon have two bodies to take care of. Her mother was waiting at the foot of the stairs.  
>"Wot's he got up there? A customer already?" Mrs. Lovett asked, leaning against the banister. "Didn't 'spect one 'til Monday, ta be honest." Dotty shook her head, her cheeks flushed. She looks like she was in a cooler, the way she shook and the redness in her face. "Wot's it now? Tell your mother."<br>"The judge, mother. Sweeney's got the judge."

()

"Mother, was that Anthony? Just went up the stair?" Dotty asked, ripping out of the chair she was sitting in over to the door. "Who's Anthony?" Mrs. Lovett asked, joining her daughter. Charlotte dashed out to the stair, meeting the Judge halfway. Her heart froze was he brushed past her. When she made it to the top of the stairs Anthony ran out the door, not noticing her in his haste. *Damn it...* She trew the door open, finding Sweeney brooding near the window.  
>"What happened? I was coming up and saw them both running down the stair..."<p>

Todd: I had him! His throat was there beneath my hand.

Charlotte: There, there, Sween, calm down

Todd:No, I had him! His throat was there and now he'll never come again.  
>Charotte: Easy now, hush love hush I keep telling you -<br>Todd: When? Charlotte: What's your rush

ToddWhy did I wait?  
>You told me to wait -<br>Now he'll never come again.  
>There's a hole in the world like a great black pit And it's filled with people who are filled with shit And the vermin of the world inhabit it.<br>But not for long...  
>They all deserve to die.<br>Tell you why, little Lovett, tell you why.  
>Because in all of the whole human race Dotty Lovett, there are two kinds of men and only two There's the one they put in his proper place And the one with his foot in the other one's face Look at me, Charlotte Lovett, look at you.<br>Now we all deserve to die Even you little Dotty...even I Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief For the rest of us death will be a relief We all deserve to die.  
>And I'll never see Johanna No I'll never hold my girl to me - finished!<br>(shouted) Alright! You sir, you sir, how about a shave?  
>Come and visit your good friend Sweeney.<br>You sir, you sir? Welcome to the grave.  
>I will have vengenance. I will have salvation.<br>(shouted) Who sir, you sir?  
>No one in the chair, come on! Come on!<br>Sweeney's waiting. I want you bleeders.  
>You sir - anybody.<br>Gentlemen don't be shy!  
>Not one man, no, no ten men.<br>Not a hundred can assuage me -  
>I will have you!<br>And I will get him back even as he gloats In the meantime I'll practice on dishonorable throats.  
>And my Lucy lies in ashes And I'll never see my girl again.<br>But the work waits!  
>I'm alive at last!<br>And I'm full of joy!

Throughout his epiphany he moved around the room, disregarding Charlotte's presence through most of it. He looked at her now, his eyes wide and her's narrowed. "That's all good and well, deary, but what you suppose we gonna do about him?"  
> <p>


	5. Chapter 5

Charlotte sat down next to Sweeney, sighing loudly. "What're we supposed to do about him?" Mr. Lovett asked, handing Mr. Todd a glass of gin. "Late at night, when nobody's around, me and Dotty'll take him somewhere secret and bury him." he said, swishing the gin around in the glass, watching it slosh against the sides. He mother rolled her eyes and got up.  
>"Of course we could do that." she said monotonously, wiping her hands on her apron.<br>MRS. LOVETT:  
>Seems a downright shame...<br>TODD: Shame?  
>LOVETT:<br>Seems an awful waste...  
>Such a nice, plump frame Wot's 'is name has...<br>Had...  
>Has!<br>Nor it can't be traced...  
>Bus'ness needs a lift,<br>Debts to be erased...  
>Think of it as thrift,<br>As a gift,  
>If you get my drift!<p>Seems an awful waste...<br>I mean, with the price of meat What it is,  
>When you get it,<br>If you get it...

TODD: HAH!  
>LOVETT:<br>Good, you got it!

Take, for instance, Mrs. Mooney and her pie shop!  
>Bus'ness never better using only pussycats and toast!<br>And a pussy's good for maybe six or seven at the most!  
>And I'm sure they can't compare as far as taste!<p>

[Simultaneously]

TODD:  
>Mrs. Lovett, what a charming notion LOVETT:<br>Well, it does seem a waste...

TODD:  
>Eminently practical And yet appropriate as always!<br>LOVETT:  
>It's an idea...<p>

TODD:  
>Mrs. Lovett, how I've lived Without you all these years, I'll never know!<br>How delectable!  
>Also undetectable!<p>

LOVETT:  
>Think about it!<br>Lots of other gentlemen'll Soon be comin' for a shave,  
>Won't they?<br>Think of All them Pies!

TODD:  
>How choice!<p>

How Rare!

TODD:  
>For what's the sound of the world out there?<br>LOVETT:  
>What, Mr. Todd?<br>What, Mr. Todd?  
>What is that sound?<br>TODD:  
>Those crunching noises pervading the air!<br>LOVETT:  
>Yes, Mr. Todd!<br>Yes, Mr. Todd!  
>Yes, all around!<br>TODD:  
>It's man devouring man, my dear!<br>BOTH:  
>And [LOVETT: Then] who are we to deny it in here?<p>

TODD: (spoken) These are desperate times,  
>Mrs. Lovett, and desperate measures are called for!<br>LOVETT: Here we are, now! Hot out of the oven!  
>TODD: What is that?<p>

LOVETT:  
>It's priest. Have a little priest.<br>TODD:  
>Is it really good?<br>LOVETT:  
>Sir, it's too good, at least!<br>Then again, they don't commit sins of the flesh,  
>So it's pretty fresh.<br>TODD:  
>Awful lot of fat.<p>

Charlotte:  
>Only where it sat.<br>TODD:  
>Haven't you got poet, or something like that?<br>LOVETT:  
>No, y'see, the trouble with poet is 'Ow do you know it's deceased?<br>Try the priest!

TODD: (spoken) Heavenly!  
>Not as hearty as bishop, perhaps,<br>but then again, not as bland as curate, either!

Charlotte:  
>And good for business, too - always leaves you wantin' more!<br>Trouble is, we only get it on Sundays!

Lawyer's rather nice.  
>TODD:<br>If it's for a price.  
>Charlotte:<br>Order something else, though, to follow,  
>Since no one should swallow it twice!<br>TODD:  
>Anything that's lean.<br>LOVETT:  
>Well, then, if you're British and loyal,<br>You might enjoy Royal Marine!  
>Anyway, it's clean.<br>Though of course, it tastes of wherever it's been!  
>TODD:<br>Is that squire,  
>On the fire?<br>LOVETT:  
>Mercy no, sir, look closer,<br>You'll notice it's grocer!  
>TODD:<br>Looks thicker,  
>More like vicar!<br>Charlotte:  
>No, it has to be grocer -<br>It's green!

TODD:  
>The history of the world, my love -<br>LOVETT:  
>Save a lot of graves,<br>Do a lot of relatives favors!  
>TODD:<br>Is those below serving those up above!  
>LOVETT:<br>Ev'rybody shaves,  
>So there should be plenty of flavors!<br>TODD:  
>How gratifying for once to know BOTH:<br>That those above will serve those down below!

Charlotte: (spoken) Now let's see, here... We've got tinker.  
>TODD: Something... pinker.<br>Charlotte: Tailor?  
>TODD: Paler.<br>Charlotte: Butler?  
>TODD: Subtler.<br>Charlotte: Potter?  
>TODD: Hotter.<br>Charlotte: Locksmith?

Lovely bit of clerk.  
>TODD:<br>Maybe for a lark.  
>LOVETT:<br>Then again there's sweep If you want it cheap And you like it dark!  
>Try the financier,<br>Peak of his career!  
>TODD:<br>That looks pretty rank.  
>Charlotte:<br>Well, he drank,  
>It's a bank Cashier.<br>Never really sold.  
>Maybe it was old.<br>TODD:  
>Have you any Beadle?<br>LOVETT:  
>Next week, so I'm told!<br>Beadle isn't bad till you smell it and Notice 'ow well it's been greased...  
>Stick to priest!<p>

(spoken) Now then, this might be a little bit stringy,  
>but then of course it's... fiddle player!<br>TODD: No, this isn't fiddle player - it's piccolo player!  
>LOVETT: 'Ow can you tell?<br>TODD: It's piping hot!  
>LOVETT: Then blow on it first!<p>

TODD:  
>The history of the world, my pet -<br>Charlotte:  
>Oh, Mr. Todd,<br>Ooh, Mr. Todd,  
>What does it tell?<br>TODD:  
>Is who gets gotten, and who gets to get!<br>Lovett:  
>And, Mr. Todd,<br>Too, Mr. Todd,  
>Who gets to sell!<br>TODD:  
>But fortunately, it's also clear BOTH:<br>That ev'rybody goes down well with beer!

TODD: What is that?  
>LOVETT:<br>It's fop.  
>Finest in the shop.<br>And we have some shepherd's pie peppered With actual shepherd on top!  
>And I've just begun -<br>Here's the politician, so oily It's served with a doily,  
>Have one!<br>TODD:  
>Put it on a bun.<br>Well, you never know if it's going to run!  
>LOVETT:<br>Try the friar,  
>Fried, it's drier!<br>TODD:  
>No, the clergy is really Too coarse and too mealy!<br>LOVETT:  
>Then actor,<br>That's compacter!  
>TODD:<br>Yes, and always arrives overdone!  
>I'll come again when you have JUDGE on the menu!<p>

TODD:  
>Have charity towards the world, my pet!<br>Charlotte:  
>Yes, yes, I know, my love!<br>TODD:  
>We'll take the customers that we can get!<br>Charlotte:  
>High-born and low, my love!<br>TODD:  
>We'll not discriminate great from small!<br>No, we'll serve anyone,  
>Meaning anyone,<br>BOTH:  
>And to anyone At all!<p>

Charlotte smiled, looking at Mr. T, who was looking at Nellie, who was looking out the window. "Sounds like we gots ourself a plan, Mr. Todd. 


	6. Chapter 6

Weeks had gone by, it was now nearly winter, and business couldn't be better. Mrs. Lovett and Toby were keeping busy in the eating garden and Charlotte was in the shop with Mr. Todd. she wasn't supposed to be, of course, she was supposed to be washing dishes in the washroom but that was boring work. Everything mother ever had her do now was boring compared to the goings on in Mr. Todd's tonsorial shop. She shared in his blood lust because of the demons in her past, demons she daren't disclose to even Sweeney. Speaking of Sweeney, he paced(back...forth...back...forth) waiting for the next customer. the child's voice carried up the stairs and into the shop, making Dotty smile to herself even though her feet were aching. That was one thing thet made her smile, Tobias' singing voice. He hummed himself to sleep often, when he did sleep anyways. Many nights he simply stayed at Dotty's fire place and kindled and chars while Charlotte dozed away in a chair or across the sette... Sometimes Mr. Todd would carry her in from a long day in the shop, where she helped out sometimes. Toby could see the way she looked at Mr. Todd sometimes, the way shesighed when he left the room. Mrs. Lovett did the same thing too. But was it normal that Mr. Todd did the same thing about Miss Charlotte? Tobias Ragg, at the grand age of "maybe 'bout twelve", didn't know.

TOBIAS: Ladies and gentlemen, May I have your attention, please? Are your nostrils aquiver and tingling as well At that delicate, luscious ambrosial smell? Yes they are, I can tell.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, That aroma enriching the breeze Is like nothing compared to its succulent source, As the gourmets among you will tell you, of course.

Ladies and gentlemen, You can't imagine the rapture in store Just inside of this door!

There you'll sample Mrs. Lovett's meat pies, Savory and sweet pies, As you'll see. You who eat pies, Mrs. Lovett's meat pies Conjure up the treat pies Used to be!

MRS. LOVETT Toby!

TOBIAS: Coming!

MRS. LOVETT: Ale there!

TOBIAS: Right, mum!

MRS. LOVETT: Quick, now!

MRS. LOVETT: Nice to see you, dearie . .. How have you been keeping? ... Cor, me bones is weary! Toby ! One for the gentleman . . . Hear the birdies cheeping Helps to keep it cheery . . . Toby! Throw the old woman out!

The clock down the street chimed out *ding-ping-ding-ping-ding-ping* Six o'clock...the man was an hour and a quarter late already...

SWEENEY: Damn...  
>MRS. LOVETT: What's it?<br>SWEENEY: Shit MRS. LOVETT: Sweet, look at the customer SWEENEY: Hell...  
>MRS. LOVETT: Yes? What love? Quick, though the trade is brisk SWEENEY: But its six o clock.<br>MRS. LOVETT: So its six o clock?  
>SWEENEY: It was due to arrive at a quarter to five and its six o clock! I've been waiting all day but it should have been here by now MRS. LOVETT: and its probably already down the block it will be here, it will be here prolly had a pitcher o' beer and it should've been here by now now<p>

MRS. LOVETT: What's my secret? Frankly, dear forgive my canter Family secret, All to do with herbs. Things like being Careful with your coriander, That's what makes the gravy grander

MRS. LOVETT and TOBIAS: Eat them slow and Feel the crust, how thin I (she) rolled it! Eat them slow, 'cos Every one's a prize! Eat them slow, 'cos That's the lot and now we've sold it! Come again tomorrow !

There was a knock on the barber's door and Dotty darted over and wretched it open. "I told you he was coming, Sween!"

Mrs. Lovett:Hold it Bless my eyes ! Fresh supplies!

How about it, dearie? Be here in a twinkling! Just confirms my theory Toby ! God watches over us. Didn't have an inkling . . . Positively eerie . . .

TOBIAS (with Mrs. Lovett above): Is that a pie Fit for a king, A wondrous sweet And most delectable thing? You see, ma'am, why There is no meat pie

MRS. LOVETT: Toby! Throw the old woman out!  
>The old woman skidded into the street, falling onto her knees. She raised her fist and cursed at the building. The old lunatic...she swore Mrs. Lovett was the wife of the devil, a witch, a whore..."CITY ON FIRE!" she screached, pointing a long, curled finger at the chimney. "Mischeif!" Just a day before she scratched Charlotte down the arm, making her bleed. Sweeney was with her, and the woman swore she knew him...odd.<p>

...page break...

How Eleanor Lovett convinced Sweeney Todd to go out for a picinic was unknown to anyone but the two in question. Dotty had promised Toby she'd teach him to do a somerset while they were out, which was exactly what she was doing. In a distant part of the park she was doing a series of rolls while he scratched his scalp, wondering how a girl could do that.  
>"Just over your shoulder, deary!" she called, the boy landing once again on his neck at an odd angle.<br>Sweeney stared off into the distance, or at least, assumably the distance. If you had a particular care for techinacalities, you could say he was watching Tobias Ragg do faulty somersets, or even that he was watching Charlotte smile and correct the child on his form. Mrs. Lovett was cantering off about something or another when she began to sing. This wasn't unusual, of course, but what happened next was...  
>It was little fun being pulled into Mrs. Lovett's fantasy. Instead of seeing Lucy or even Charlotte on his side at the beach, he saw his landlord. He might not have minded if it were Charlotte in the chair opposite him singing about cozy flannels, and there would be no fake laughs or idle chatter if it were her. No chums over every Friday. Dotty didn't like guests, he knew this. The walk on the boardwalk might have been enjoyable had it been with Charlotte Lovett...wait...why was he thinking Charlotte and not his Lucy...his beautiful Lucy...dead could never kiss her again...kiss...now was imagining marrying to Nellie? The notion all but sickened him. Dotty might have been okay, but not Nellie. He didn't love Nellie the way he loved Char-Lucy. Not like Lucy...dead Lucy. He could never hold her again...hold...he could hold Charlotte. Actually, he had held Charlotte. Often. In fact, just yesterday night she fell asleep in his fancy chair. He carried her downstairs and put her to bed. She mumbled his name, he kissed her on the forehead. It was simple, chaste even. A 'night, luv.' kiss on the forehead. He whispered "Good night, pet, sleep well." into her ear and put the quilt over her sleeping figure. That was nothing...any other man who knew her that well would have done the same.<br>But would they have felt the way he had while doing it? Like it was so natural to carry someone down the stairs and lay her to rest, to kiss her on the forehead and bid her a peaceful night? Would they feel like it was right? Because when Sweeney did it, when he clicked her lantern off, he saw something in Charlotte Mercy Lovett's face he hadn't seen in fifteen years. In Charlotte Lovett's face he saw perfection he had only ever seen in Lucy and in his own daughter. On that night, Charlotte was perfect. 


	7. AN

((This chapter is just an AN, I'm sorry :( I'd like to thank my personal cult following Angellic Dragon. Thank you for reading and reviewing every chapter so avidly! To my other readers, don't be afraid to review! I like to know what my stories are giving people and how I can make them better. As you may have noticed, I wrote a lot of "emotion" and perspective in the last chapter. You can look foreward to more because thet's really what I enjoy doing. This is where things begin to cchange from where the movie and play have taken us, so please continue reading. I'd also like suggestions. I already have certian things set up in my mind but if you really dearly want to see what I do with an idea feel free to ask! I want to make my readers as happy aas you all make me :) Thanks once again for reading and I hope to have a new chapter up within the next few days.  
>Also, I'm sorry for my recurring typographic errors :P My computer's keyboard is very dysfunctional, it likes to mess up my worts (-see? I hit the 'd' key, but the wiring is messed up))<p>((much love and thanks, Kris)) <p>


	8. Chapter 7

There was no more flour. You couldn't make pies without flour. Because you can't make pies without flour, Charlotte and Sweeney were in the market, fighting off an Indian woman trying to sell them some curry. "Leave me alone!" Dotty yelled at the woman, yanking her sleeve out of the woman's hand. With a killing look, she turned around to find Sweeney suppressing a…._a laugh? _"Sweeney, are you laughing?" She had never seen more than a vague smile out of him.

"You're funny when you yell, Dot." He said, turning around and walking towards a stall with what they were there for…what was it again? Ah, yes, flour. She had nearly forgotten, his laugh(if you could call it that) was the main thing on her mind. She moved up behind him, placing her hand on his elbow. He looked at her, but when she opened her mouth, a voice he had only heard in dreams in the past fifteen years came out of her:

"**Why don't you smile anymore?"**

He looked at her severely for a second, and suddenly, something broke inside of him. Benjamin Barker smiled widely at the girl and then flew away, leaving only Sweeney there, smiling at Charlotte. She backed up momentarially, but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her foreward, unintentionally brushing his lips against hers.

"Because, Charlotte, until now I haven't had a reason to."

((page break))

Her head was on his chest. Charlotte Mercy Lovett's head was on Sweeney Todd's chest. How could this happen? How could he have someone other than Lucy in his bed? How could he kiss anyone besides Lucy on the cheek softly, and whisper it would be okay in her ear?

Perhaps it was because had accepted long ago that his Lucy was gone. Maybe it was because she had been the one who immediately took him in, the first one to see a razor in his hand in over fifteen years. Whatever it was, he had simply fallen in love with her. Simple, chaste love.

Dotty was not Lucy at all. Her frizzing dark auburn curls were the near exact opposite of Lucy's beautiful yellow hair. And yet, her locks were perfect. Her pale skin and dark eyes were the epitomy of beauty now. He had fallen for the wrong woman yet again. This time the penalties were different, he was on the risk of arrest for a true reason now, and his Dotty shared his bloodlust.

She stirred a little in her sleep, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. Charlotte was a still sleeper, she rarely moved, much less talked, and yet she was mumbling now. _"No, papa...no...Judge Turpin...no, my lord...no, papa...not Sweeney..." _ She was dreaming about her father? And the judge? And Sweeney? All in the same dream? Dreams are strange, you must admit.

_"No, papa...no...Judge Turpin...no, my lord...no, papa...not Sweeney..." _she was talking nearly clearly, her face contorting slightly. She was still stirring, more violently now, and Sweeney tightened his grip around her waist. _"No, papa...no...Judge Turpin...no, my lord...no, papa...not Sweeney..." _ She was nearly crying now. _"No, papa...no...Judge Turpin...no, my lord...no, papa...not Sweeney..."_

She was thrashing so violently now it seemed as though she might give out at any moment. _"Not Sweeney! No! Not Sweeney! Sweeney! Sweeney! No! No! Take me, take me!" _ She was screaming now, clinging so hard to his hand she feared she might cut him with her nails. _"Sweeney!" _ he kissed her forehead

"Shhh…it's okay, Dotty, I'm here, it's okay.." he muttered, placing his hand on her cheek. "Sweeney's here, Dot. Shhh…" She opened her eyes, sitting up frantically.

"No! Sweeney! Swee-" she finally registered his arms around her, and his lips on the back of her neck. "Oh, Sweeney!" she sobbed, turning quickly and burying her head in his neck. "It was horrible…my dream…I thought you were-"

"Shh…it's okay, Dotty. I'm here."


	9. Chapter 8

The snow was beginning to fall now, and the cheeks of Mrs. Lovett's customers were unusually rosy when they bustled into her shop. Dotty was attending a German man in a booth while Toby stood outside, attracting customers. His calls could be heard from inside: "_Ladies and gentlemen, save with Lovett, and a shave, you'll love it!"_ World weary travelers and matrons alike filed through the pie shop, a fair few popping up for a shave, some of them never returning. Yes, winter was indeed the best time of the year to serve meat pies. Perhaps it was the sight of cheery young children's faces lighting up in shop windows, wonder if maybe, this year, Mama would get them the new porcelain dolly. Maybe it was the sound of the carolers "_Roun' young virgin, mother and child"_ that made Charlotte wish it could be Yuletide season all year long. To Charlotte Mercy Lovett, Christmas time was a time for dreams.

When the light is on, that is.

She'd never tell anyone about her nightmares. They were her private torments, skeletons locked away in a hallway closet. She'd never let another soul hear about the monsters she saw, or the sickening looks from the Judge as he laid his hands on her cheek, transforming into her father. Her fear was in the men holding a gun to Sweeney, threatening to make him love Lucy, to make him leave. He'd lie, limp, at her feet as the judge...her father. The judge again cackled above her, flames licking around him…them. They'd life their hand, and bring it crashing down on her cheek, but she felt no pain. That was the confirmation that it was all just a nightmare, that she'd wake up. The absence of pain meant absence of reality. It always had. From the time she was young and handled her mother's scalding meat pies, she knew that pain meant it was real. Blood was the sign of actuality. Blood and pain. Was it chance that the two things she always knew as reality were seeping into her relationships? That she'd never have known Sweeney without bloodlust? That he only told her he loved her as long as she held his razor or begged him to stay? She couldn't tell. She didn't care.

She had Sweeney.

Nothing mattered as long as she could look into his cold eyes and feel something. Nothing mattered except that she had someone who loved her. Toby mattered, yes, and her mother did also, but if they were in the way of Sweeney, they were nothing. She needed him. She wanted him to be her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor.

What if Prince Charming was just Barber Tender? What if, instead of shining armor, he bore silver razors? _Silver's good enough for me…_…

"Oi! Yer spilling me gin!" the man cackled, slamming his fist on the table, snapping Dotty back into reality. Bloody, painful reality…

"Yessir, I'm sorry, sir." And she mopped it up before bustling through the bitter cold to the tonsorial parlor above.


	10. Chapter 9

"Miss? Is you in here?" Toby's voice flitted into Charlotte's room as she nodded in and out of sleep on her settee. She jerked awake as her head slumped forward. He approached her, sitting at her feet. "Miss, you alright?"

"Course I is…" she said groggily, her Cockney accent shining through her tiredness. "Why wouldn't I be alrigh'?" Dotty had always been an odd sleeper, some night heavy and others she's wake at a creak in the stairs, but Tobias Ragg had never woken her up. _Ever. _She knew he was attentive, he'd listen for someone coming up or going down the stairway, he'd check in on his Aunty Nell. But he'd never wake her up.

"Do you know you talk sometimes when you sleep? You talk about your papa." Toby said, looking up at her. "Last night you slept up in Mr. Todd's room. You was talking up there, too. I could hear you…" he had caught her attention in the talk about her papa. "I didn't mean to intrude, Miss. Really. You was yelling and making a right noise. You was yelling 'Sweeney', so I thought he might have been hurting you…he wasn't, right?"

"No! o' course 'e wasn't, Toby. You know Mista T betta 'an that!" Charlotte said, standing and walking over to her bed. "Why would he hurt any of us?"

"He wouldn't…..Would he? "

"'course not, Toby."

"Would your mum?"

((page break))

Charlotte bustled into the tonsorial parlor minutes after Anthony's leaving. "What's all this going on?" she asked, watching Sweeney write a letter hastily.

"Turpin's got my Johanna locked away in a mad house, I'm sending Anthony in as a wigmaker and he'll bring her here in two days time… then we'll take care of him and it'll all be set…"

"He can't bring Johanna back here, Sweeney. Not after what all's happened. She won't want you to be her father, Sweeney. She'll want to go off and marry Anthony…" Dotty had told him this so many times before, and now it was happening right before her very eyes. "We don't even have the judge out of the way or anything!"

"It'll all happen in good time, Dot." Sweeney said, sealing the envelope incasing the letter and handing it to her. "Give this to your mother, have her give it to toby. Have him give it to the judge. Understand?" He was facing her now, indifferent, as though the prospect of seeing Johanna turned her into nothing…

"What did she look like?" Charlotte asked abruptly. She didn't know where the question came from, or why, but it came. "Lucy…what did she look like?"

"She had yellow hair."

Charlotte met his eyes, watching them carefully. Yellow hair? Really? Is that all he could tell? Or perhaps, was that all her remembered? "Mr. Todd, you realize you can never have Benjy Barky's like again, right?"

"I accepted that a long time ago, Dot. You know that." He said, squeezing the envelope in her hand. "But I can try, can't I?"

Dotty swallowed hard, tucking the letter into her jacket pocket. "You can try, Sweeney, but you'll fail. Me and you…we can make it work. It may not be like you remember, not like I dreamed, but we can get by. We can do well."

"Give it to your mother, Charlotte. Give it to Toby, give it to-"

"The Judge. I know. It will only work if it's a miracle, Sweeney." She said, turning around and leaving through the door moments to early to hear his epiphytic muttering of:

"Or a curse."

((page break))

It was done. The Judge had the letter, Anthony was getting Johanna, and Dotty was asleep, gain. Funny how we sleep so often yet hardly remember it. Tobias Ragg was sitting on the floor of the pie shop, thinking. He had a lot of time to think now that it was after closing time. Time to think about Mister and Miss. They were kind to him, they were merciful. They always gave him a toffee if he was good. Miss was like a sister he never had. Miss Lovett, on the other hand…she was kind, yes. But so…off. He never saw a bloke after Miss Lovett went up in private with him. He had a theory about hat woman, he did. She was the devil's wife, like the lunatic said…the devil's wife.

Toby walked into Charlotte's room very softly, very quietly. He saw the top of Mr. Todd's head over the top of the couch and walked over, finding that Dotty was asleep with her head on Sweeney's chest. Sweeney was wide awake, watching the fire. He didn't sleep often; at least Toby had never seen his sleep. Mr. T was strange like that, he was.

"Mister, could you wake Miss for me? I gots something I needs to tell her." Tobias asked, nodding at Charlotte's sleeping figure that was partially illuminated by the flickering flames. Sweeney whispered for her to wake up, only a few minutes, he promised, just long enough to hear some news.

She shifted her weight and opened her heavily lidded eyes, noticing toby right off. "Wotcha need Toby?" she asked, not moving from her position. Suddenly, as consciousness returned to her, that Toby wasn't at work that day,forgetting all about the letter. "Where was you oll day? Ya had me and your Aun'y Nell 'bout ready to dro', you did! We was so tired, we was. In fact, you had me worried, you did. Where was you?" she asked hazily, her Cockney dialect and mentality showing through her tiredness. She sat up and rubbed her frizzy hair down slightly.

Toby bit his lip nervously. Though he claimed to be 13, he looked only 10, still. And he probably was, and just didn't know he was only ten. "Actually, ma'am, your mum is what I wanted to talk to you about. You know if you hadn't took me in when Signor Pirelli went away, I'd be in the work house still. It's like you and Mister were made for me."

"Now, Toby, is this really necessary?" Sweeney asked grumpily, eager to have Dotty's head on his chest again.

"Yes sir, honest. You know there isn't nothing I wouldn't do for you two. Like if there was someone bad, only you two didn't know it, and you trusted them...

Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around.

Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around.

Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays,

I'll send 'em howling,

I don't care, I got ways.

No one's gonna hurt you,

No one's gonna dare.

Others can desert you,

Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there.

Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while,

But in time...

Nothing can harm you

Not while I'm around..."

He heaved himself into Dotty's lap, the way he had before if he had a nightmare and was too scared to wake anyone else. He's taken a right shine to Charlotte, he had. It was like he had a big sister in her. She wrapped an arm around him and rested her chin on top of his head. "Now, what are you talking about? What do you mean someone bad?" she asked, leering nervously at Sweeney, who was watching him closely. He looked severely into Charlotte's eyes, both of them knowing what had to be done. Toby opened his mouth and began again

Not to worry, not to worry

I may not be smart but I ain't dumb

I can do it, put me to it

Show me something I can overcome

Not to worry, Mum

Being close and being clever

Ain't like being true

I don't need to,

I would never hide a thing from you,

Like some...

"I been thinking, Miss Dot, about your mum. I haven't seen anyone after she's met them up in Mr. T's shop-"

"how can you think such a thing about Mrs. Lovett, after she's been so good to you?" Sweeney asked, slyly sliding his razor out of his pocket and scooting it towards Dotty. "But, you have been keeping up around the pie shop, which is very good. And you brought the judge that letter for Miss Lovett today. A very good boy you've been, Toby"

"I got it! Here you are Toby! Hows about you run down to the sweet shop and buy yourself a stick of peppermint for being such a good, good boy for your Aunty Nell and me?" charlotte asked, pushing Toby out of her lap and producing a small silken coin purse from her bodice. She opened it and extracted a few pennies, Figuring he's be fooled by the coins into thinking it was worth something. Tobias's little eyes lit up, but they soon realized it wasn't from excitement,

"That's Signor Pirelli's purse! We have to call the Beadle and get the lawyer!" he cried.

"Nonsense! It's just something Mr. T here gived me for my birthday! toby, dear..." Dotty lied, pulling the child back into her lap.

Charlotte:

Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around.

Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around.

Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays...

She flicked the razor open, and no sooner than he realised what was happening Tobias Ragg was no more. He was now only a memory in Dotty's mind. Alive and fresh in her mind, but still just a memory. She killed her darling Toby. A hot tear slid down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Toby." she whispered as Sweeney took the corpse out of her lap. He noticed her tears and wiped one away with his thumb.

"He knew too much, Dot. Would you rather him die or the two of us die?" he asked after putting the body in a chest for safe keeping. He put an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead softly, but she merely sobbed hard into his waistcoat. "Shh...it's okay, pet. He's okay now...he's an angel..." She stopped shaking and looked up at him, blood spattered over her cheek.


	11. Chapter 10

"I…I killed him. I killed my Toby not a week before his birthday…" she stammered. What had she done? She'd "taken care of" a few of the customers before; she planned on "taking care of" Anthony and Johanna once they got here. But this was Toby. _Her Toby, dead._ " 'e'd be eleven or fourteen in two days, Sweeney, eleven or fourteen and now he'll never know which 'in it was!"

She sank into the cushion of the couch, her eyes glued to the fire. Her Toby; gone forever by her own hand. "What's done is done, Dotty." Sweeney said, sitting next to her. The blood spattered on her cheek shimmered iridescently in the fire light, catching his eye. A salty tear mixed with the coppery fluid and made it trickle down to the edge of her mouth. He wiped it away hurriedly, knowing _tasting _the proof of Tobias Ragg's departure would not help the situation. Without a speck of warning, she lunged towards Sweeney, her lips meeting his and her arms wrapping around his neck. Surprised, he sank onto the furniture piece beside her, pulling her closer by the small of her back and crushing his lips against hers. He was rough, dominating, even. She loved it, she needed it. It made her feel wanted, she needed to feel wanted. Without Sweeney there to hold her, to slice her, to take her, she was broken. Now especially. Now that there was no more little Toby. She killed her first man in his arms, he helped her kill Toby; she needed him.

What if he needed her too? He'd never admit to needing her. He'd admit to loving her, to wanting her. But never to needing her. No, he didn't need her. He needed revenge; she gave him a warm body. "I love you, Sweeney," she groaned against his lips, shifting on the couch so her body was leaned over his. He pulled back, his eyes flashing to the empty doorframe.

"I…you too." He said pathetically. His dark eyes met hers and he remembered why he was doing this, why he was so hell-bent on revenge. Because of a perfect girl. Once Turpin was gone, Lucy would be avenged, and it would be okay for him to move on. He knew this, she had come to him in a dream and whispered it in his ear…_Go after her, Ben. I sent her for you…_

"Do you really, though?" she asked, her face cleaned of the blood. "Do you, Sweeney Todd, love me, Charlotte Mercy Lovett?"

"Of course I do. Would I lie?" he asked, rising to dim the fire, knowing that it'd be midnight soon and he had to get to sleep if he wanted to rise early enough to get done before nine at night.

"But does Benjamin Barker?"

He looked at her severely. "I don't know. You'd have to ask him." Her eyes grew wider and his went softer.

"I would if I could." She said, breathing softly. His face grew softer…younger even. For a second, he might have been…"Ben…?"

"Kiss me, Charlotte." Benjamin Barker said, and as she celibaticaly leaned forward, a sound came from the door.

"Ahem." Mrs. Lovett said, leaning against the doorframe. "Wot you think you're doin?" Dotty jumped, and just as quickly as he flickered onto Sweeney's face, Benjamin Barker was gone. Sweeney pulled Charlotte closer, his dark eyes piercing Nellie Lovett.

"The boy is dead, he was going to give us away."

"And so you snog my daughter?"


End file.
